Newsletter
Wednesday, June 1, 2011 at 4:06PM 85% of all tea in the United States is iced. To celebrate this fact, June is National Iced Tea Month. While it's possible that tea was served cold at some point throughout history, it did not come onto the world stage until the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis.
Making your own iced tea is both economical and healthier than buying ready-made bottled tea. There are three common ways to make iced tea.
1) Hot water method: For 1 gallon of iced tea, bring half a gallon of filtered water to boil in a pot. Turn off heat, and add 3 tablespoons (1 oz of tea), let steep for 4-5 minutes (7-10 for rooibos and other herbals). Strain the tea into the other half gallon of cool water and refrigerate. If you want to serve immediately, you can pour the concentrate over ice to cool and dilute, then pour over ice again.
2) Sun tea: use a glass container and add 1 teaspoon of loose tea of each cup of water directly into the jug. Then set in the sun for a few hours, tasting occasionally to get the desired strength.
3) Cold brew: The slow cold-water-steeping method extracts natural sweetness and flavor from the tea leaf. It lessens the bitterness and tangy-ness produced by tannic acid so your tea tastes smooth and mild. Add 1 teaspoon of tea per cup of cold water and put in the refrigerator. When the water is chilled, your tea will be ready! The Mist Iced Tea Cold Brew system allows for easy preparation and serving.
Iced Tea in Newsletters
Reader Comments (1)
I like that you have given more than one way to make iced tea. I'm so used to making hot tea I usually forget how to make iced tea. Thank You for the clear directions.